In the field of medical technology, various arrangements are known with which fluids can be withdrawn from patients or fluids can be fed to patients via a hose line. The access to the patient generally takes place with a catheter for introduction into body organs or a cannula for the puncturing of vessels. During examination or treatment, a proper access to the patient must be ensured. It is therefore necessary to monitor the patient access.
A proper access to the patient is also required particularly for extracorporeal blood treatment apparatuses which comprise an extracorporeal blood circuit. The known extracorporeal blood treatment apparatuses include for example dialysis apparatuses or cell separators, which necessitate an access to the patient's vascular system. In extracorporeal blood treatment, blood is removed from the patient with an arterial puncture cannula via an arterial hose line, the blood being fed back again to the patient with a venous puncture cannula via a venous hose line.
Moisture sensors that are placed on the patient's skin are described in International Patent Publication No. WO 2006/008866 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,445,304. The moisture sensors comprise electrical contact points, at which the evaluation unit of the device for monitoring the vascular access is connected via a connection cable.
Particular demands are made on the terminal clamps for the moisture sensors for monitoring the vascular access in an extracorporeal blood treatment. The terminal clamps on the one hand must not become detached from the moisture sensor during the extracorporeal blood treatment. On the other hand, a reliable electrical contact must be ensured.
International Patent Publication No. WO 99/26686 describes an electrical terminal clamp for a sensor to be placed on the patient's skin in order to measure the electrical resistance. The known terminal clamp comprises a lower and an upper clamping jaw, there being provided on the upper clamping jaw terminal contacts which make contact with the electrical contact points of the sensor when the terminal clamp is closed. The two clamping jaws are pretensioned in the closed position in a spring-loaded manner by means of a spring.